17 standouts from the 2025 MIAA boys championships

Who will step up today?

That's the question I ask myself every MIAA boys hockey championship day. It's the biggest game of every player's life. For many, it's also the final competitive game they'll ever play.

This year's slate of games provided high entertainment and constant action. One game needed two overtimes, while another featured a last-minute winner.

Most importantly, most of the best players stepped up.

Here are 17 standouts from the MIAA boys championships on Sunday.

Colin Yandle

Catholic Memorial, D, freshman 

Yandle was vital to Catholic Memorial's run to the Garden, and he was at his best on Sunday. He defended St. John's Shrewsbury star Daniel Menyalkin well, keeping good gaps and showing a great stick. Late in the first period, he cut across the zone to poke the puck away from Menyalkin, who looked to have a clean run to the net. The '09 was dazzling with the puck at the point, as he was able to stickhandle to open ice and get shots through. Yandle was one of the higher-end prospects in the MIAA this winter.

Cam Reed

Catholic Memorial, F, senior 

Reed was a leader for Catholic Memorial all season and that was exemplified in the championship. He opened the game with a big hit before getting several chances on St. John's Shrewsbury goalie Colin McCarthy throughout the first period. Reed used his size and compete to get to the front of the net with and without the puck. The senior was rewarded early in the second period with a goal from finding a soft spot in the SJS defense. He hustled back to break up St. John's Shrewsbury chances headed towards the defensive zone. He played like a leader.

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Jaxson Fleming

Catholic Memorial, G, 8th grade 

Fleming didn't have to make a high volume of saves, but he faced — and succeeded against — some high-danger chances. None were bigger than the stop he made on Menyalkin with 2:10 to play in the third. With the score tied, CM had a defensive breakdown of Menyalkin ended up with the puck in the slot. He tried to go five-hole, but Fleming calmly made the save and made numerous other ones in the final few minutes.

Daniel Menyalkin

St. John's Shrewsbury, F, senior
NCAA: Bowdoin 

It was pretty easy to tell that Menyalkin was the best player on the ice given his speed and hands. Even with CM doing a good job of defending him, the Bowdoin commit had multiple chances. His best play was on junior forward Caleb Keyes' goal midway through the third period. Menyalkin entered the offensive zone and used his hands and body to shield the puck, take it around the net and find Keyes in front for the goal. He drove offense all game and was a big reason why the Pioneers made it all the way to the final.

Ryder Bisson

St. John's Shrewsbury, D, sophomore 

If you like puck-moving defensemen, Bisson is for you. The '09 used his good skating and poise to calmly execute breakouts or skate the puck out of his own zone himself. He registered an assist on Keyes' goal moving the puck up to Menyalkin. His biggest play of the game was on a goal from the point on the power play. Four seconds into the man-advantage, Bisson walked the blue line and threw a hard wrister on net that Fleming never saw. At 6 feet and a good skater, Bisson is an intriguing prospect to track.

Daniel Viscione

Billerica, F, senior 

I called Billerica's win on Sunday the Daniel Viscione Game and that still stands. That's how it should be remembered. He scored Billerica's two regulation goals. The first was an absolute bullet of a one-timer four seconds into an early-second period power play to tie the game, 1-1. Canton made it 2-1 with 2:50 to play in the game. But 22 seconds later, Viscione got the puck high in the zone off the rush and fired a missile past Canton goalie Connor Geoghan. Viscione also sprung the 2-on-1 that won the game, sifting a pass over to Nolan Dawson, who scored the winner in double overtime. I don't think it's possible to have a better final game in high school than Viscione had.

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Nolan Dawson

Billerica, D, senior 

Dawson scored the winner. In 3-on-3, he intelligently identified to jump up with Viscione and then finished the play, scoring the goal of his life. He chipped in with a lot of offense throughout the season, tallying 36 points. Like Viscione, it's hard to argue with that kind of ending to a high school hockey career.

Stephen MacIntosh

Billerica, G, senior 

When MacIntosh flashed the glove on a Teddy Shuman chance early in the third period, Billerica's chances of winning looked to have plummeted. MacIntosh looked hurt after taking a while to get up and consistently wincing. But MacIntosh recovered and never allowed a goal again. He made plenty of big stops throughout the game, including two key ones in the first overtime. In the first period, Canton commanded the game but MacIntosh made big stops and kept his team in it.

Travis Thomas

Canton, F, senior 

Thomas was Canton's key cog offensively. He consistently drove play and his chemistry with linemates Joey Ryan and Ryan Elrick was key for the Bulldogs. Thomas got Canton's best scoring chances of the first period before scoring on the power play late in the first. Ryan patiently waited for Thomas to get open above the crease and once he did, Thomas was able to convert. Thomas showcased nice hands, dangling through a defender to sift a pass to Elrick midway through the second period. On Elrick's goal, it was all Thomas out-hustling Billerica's defense to get to a loose puck and firing it to Elrick in front.

Ryan Elrick

Canton, F, sophomore 

Elrick showed a lot of promise on Sunday. The Boston Junior Eagles 15O forward scored Canton's second goal by finding a soft spot in Billerica's defensive zone coverage and showcasing a great finish. He was consistently able to get open for Thomas to hit him with passes in the neutral and offensive zones. Elrick is an '09 and has been at Canton for the past two seasons.

Logan Poulin

Nauset, F, senior 

It was the perfect end to Poulin's high school career. The Vermont lacrosse commit finally got Nauset on the board midway through the third period, which unleashed four unanswered to get his team a comfortable, 4-1 win. Poulin always had a shot-first mentality and was able to drive play and use his speed to get around defenders. Poulin scored less than a minute into the third period, but it was waved off due to goalie interference. He also tallied an empty-net goal in the final moments of the game.

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Jake Eldredge

Nauset, F, junior 

Eldredge was outstanding at riding shotgun with Poulin. He was a strong skater and had great hands. He showcased a quick, hard shot, like on his eventual game-winning goal. Eldredge entered the Medfield zone, used the defenseman as a screen and let a shot go that beat Medfield goalie Charlie Duggan. He had numerous chances throughout the game that he earned with his skating and hard shot.

John Shaughnessy

Medfield, F, sophomore 

Shaughnessy was the game's best player in the first period. The sophomore was a force in the offensive zone, pinning Nauset in its own zone. He dangled a defender off the rush and put a shot off the crossbar, almost striking for the first goal of the game. He was hard to contain in the cycle, too. Late in the second period, Shaughnessy made a big block on a Nauset chance with Duggan down and out. One play I'm sure Shaughnessy has gone back over and over in his head since Sunday was early in the third period, he had the puck by the side of the net and, from my vantage point, it looked like he hit the post instead of putting the puck in the open side. But, if there's any solace, after watching the play again on the jumbotron, Nauset goalie Zach Coelho got over quickly, shutting off any real chance for Shaughnessy to score.

Michael Holgersen

Winthrop, F, senior

Holgersen stepped up when the lights were brightest, scoring a hat trick for Winthrop. His line with fellow senior captain Philip Boncore and sophomore Joseph Pumphret was fantastic. Holgersen was constantly in the right place at the right time, scoring an easy one-timer off Boncore’s feed to open the scoring in the second. In the third, he was right there in the slot to bury a pass from Pumphret, who made a hell of an effort. Holgersen iced the win with the empty-netter from center ice.

Brian Dunne

Dedham, F, senior

Dunne used his speed to his advantage and gained inside position on defenders a few times in transition. It was on display on his almost-goal in the first. The senior set his edges and drove to the front of the net, deking to his backhand and burying it, but the net came off before the puck went in.

Philip Boncore

Winthrop, F, senior

Boncore was one of the best players on the ice in the D4 championship. He constantly created offense in middle ice, and a lot of it was thanks to consistent second and third efforts. He set up Holgersen’s first goal, driving through multiple defenders and setting up a one-timer with a backhand feed as he fell. In the second, he and Pumphret combined for a pair of strong looks around the net.

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Michael Donahue

Winthrop, G, senior

Donahue’s 22 saves won’t exactly jump off the page, but he made a plethora of quality stops and came through in key moments. He was Winthrop’s best player in the first period as Dedham tilted the ice. His best save of the game came in the third, making a huge shoulder save on Marauders senior Tim Holton. It was a big momentum boost, and Winthrop capitalized moments later.